tonight on "the reidout" -- >> she's safe, she's on a plane. she's on her way home. >> thank you, everybody, for your support. and today is just a happy day for me and my family. so i'm going to smile right now. thank you. >> wnba star brittney griner is on her way home after a prisoner swap with the russians. how the deal came together and what's next for those americans still held prisoner in russia? plus, breaking news late today in the mar-a-lago classified documents case. the doj is reportedly asking a judge to hold the trump team in contempt. >> also tonight, an historic day for marriage as landmark legislation protecting same-sex and interrational marriage is approved and sent to president biden for his signature. >> and the supreme court is leaking but don't call mario or lieuegy. these leaks are seen as part of the orchestrated effort to influence the court. as democrats push for ethics reforms on the court.

>> good evening, everyone. i'm jason johnson in for joy reid. we begin tonight with the release of brittney griner. the wnba star who had been detained in russia for ten months is coming home after the biden administration negotiated her release from a russian penal colony in a one for one swap for russian armed dealer viktor bout. this is video released by russian state police showing griner leaving her place of detention. after all this time, we got to hear griner when she was told she was going home. >> what's your mood? >> happy. >> are you ready for the flight? >> yes. >> do you know where we're heading to? >> no, i don't know. >> you're flying back home. >> to the u.s. >> to the u.s. >> everything will be fine.

>> griner was detained by russia in february and sentenced to nine years in prison for having vape cartridges with cannabis oil. she arrived in abu dhabi today by a private plane from moscow following her release from russian authorities. president biden announced her release today alongside griner's wife, cherelle griner. >> brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones. >> today i'm just standing here overwhelmed with emotions but the most important emotion i have right now is just sincere gratitude for president biden and his entire administration. >> among the flurry of reactions over griner's release, we heard from wnba commissioner cathy inglebert who said bg has shown extraordinary courage and dignity in the face of adversity. adam silver thanks those who raised awareness of her circumstances, and the phoenix

mercury and sun released a statement saying we no longer have to bring bg home. she's on her way. and you had those who woke up this morning thinking they were experts in high-stakes negotiations, people who mind you, have zero experience in brokering the release of international hostages in rogue nations. much less in russia, a country that is currently invading another country. must we remind folks this is vladimir putin we're dealing with? yet, there armchair negotiators took to twitter taking aim at president biden for swapping griner for an arms dealer and also because absent from the swap was another american, paul whelan, former marine who has been jailed in russia since december 2018 on charges of espionage which he and the u.s. government have denied. marsha blackburn tweeted, biden left a marine stranded behind enemy lines. never mind whelan was first detained when trump was president. which brings us to the former president who today called the swap a, quote, stupid and

unpatriotic embarrassment. attacking biden for something trump failed to do. then you have marjorie taylor greene with her bizarre but predictable take saying the release was, quote, another reason to impeach joe biden. i don't understand these people, and yet i do. it goes to show how cynical and toxic our politics can be when the release of an american from a penal colony in russia is not like a celebrated unifying moment but rather an opportunity for cheap shots and bad faith attacks from republicans on twitter. instead, today's lesson in grace came from one of the people who feels whelan's absence the most, his twin brother, david whelan. >> i think president biden made the right decision. his job is to protect all americans and to care about all americans. and it would have been wrong for him to leave behind an american when he had the ability to bring them home. i appreciate that he may have even waited, delayed in the hope paul might have been able to come home, but it was the right

decision to bring ms. griner home. i'm so glad he did. i'm super excited she's free and able to spend time with her family. >> joining me now is terry jackson, executive director of the women's national basketball players association. i just have to start, how do you feel? how do you feel today when you woke up and saw this news? we're having trouble with sound, guys. >> i feel today -- can you hear me? >> i can hear you now. >> i feel today very different from what i felt yesterday, but i gotta tell you, each day i have held out hope, each day i would wake up saying bg is coming home today. when that didn't happen at night, i would say okay, it's going to be tomorrow. yesterday i heard some news that had me anxiously anticipating today. and i woke up and my heart has just been filled with joy, lots

of relief, as you can imagine. i have cried, i have laughed, i have smiled. i have -- just everything. it's just a roller coaster of mostly good emotions. and yet also we recognize that paul whelan's family, david whelan, who i had the opportunity to speak with a few months ago, a really emotional, heartfelt conversation for the two of us, supporting each other and just recognizing that we are now connected. so it has been the highs and lows of that. but i would not be honest if i wasn't saying that my heart is overjoyed for bg, for cherelle, for her family, and for the 144, that's what we call the members of our union. >> i gotta say, if you look at this sort of the arc of the last couple years, wnba players got rid of republican senator in

georgia, fought for black lives matter, have now organized and helped bring home a player. what are the conversations like amongst wnba players? obviously, they're overjoyed but are they empowered thinking wow, we're athletes and we have also been able to affect international change? what are the conversations happening amongst players right now? >> since 2016, when they stood up unified for black lives matter, and 2017 against racial hate in charlottesville, for years on issues surrounding voting rights, reproductive rights, lgbtq rights. our members understand the power of their voice, particularly the power of the collective. they understand what it means to be a part of a union. and we as the players association staff are right there supporting them on the court and off the court with their advocacy.

they are amazing. as you can imagine, it is a privilege to have the job that i have. i am a lawyer, and yet i get to do this. no lawyer gets to report to the players that i get to report to, what they do is nothing less than amazing. flipping a senate seat, and now here. being able to rally and mobilize human rights activists, civil rights activists, the win with black women network. so many. the afl-cio. so every sports players association stood with us because our members rallied them around the we are bg campaign. and i am just so grateful to get to do what i get to do. >> terri jackson, thank you so much for joining us and congratulations to you and all the players in the wnba. really excited for you. >> appreciate you. thank you. >> let's bring in julietoffy, washington correspondent for

puck, and nayer hawk, former senior director at the white house. thank you all so much for joining me this evening. julia, i'll start with you. i guess, after something like this happens, the immediate thought is, is there a warning that needs to go out to americans? there's probably hundreds of americans, hundreds, thousands who on a regular basis fly in and out of russia on a regular basis. does this mean they should no longer do that? does this mean this is a shot across the bow? what does this mean for sort of civilian american relations in and out of russia? >> well, that warning went out actually about a year ago. the state department said that americans should not travel to russia because of fear of things like this. because as you recall around this time last year, things were heating up around ukraine. washington and moscow were involved in pretty furious

diplomacy or what the kremlin was trying to pretend was diplomacy, to prevent the war that is now happening from happening. and once the war did break out, you know, unfortunately, brittney griner had the terrible fortune of getting arrested -- stopped and arrested at the airport just two weeks before vladimir putin invaded ukraine, and she was arrested when he already knew he was going to invade ukraine, so he had this high-value prisoner and hostage in his hands. but as soon as the war broke out, i think it became clear that no american should go to russia, pretty much for anything. >> i'm curious about this because why brittney griner? there are high-profile business people that go in and out of moscow, high-profile business people that are entertainers who sometimes perform there. why her? what was vladimir putin hoping to do in grabbing a wnba player two weeks before an invasion? >> she also has been going in and out of russia for nearly ten

years. making nearly ten times the amount of money there in the offseason than she's ever made as a star wnba player. so she had reason to go there, but she also embodies almost everything that putin rails against and tries to oppress in his own country. he has effectively outlawed gay and lesbian couples being open about their love. the idea of a black athlete challenging white supremacy, the cannabis consumption, also something he has harsh penalties in place for. so the opportunity as he was planning to invade ukraine, as the united states and european allies are standing up for democracy, to grab a star american, who in addition, has all these identities that challenge russian ideology and white supremacy, it really was too good for putin to pass up. >> so what, i know there's a lot to this, i'm going to take this to julia as well, then why now?

i mean, because none of those identiies have changed. if part was a symbolic thing, i'm going to take this black, queer, athletic woman, i don't think he cares about getting her home for christmas, sow why now? >> putin -- the war has not gone the way putin has wanted it to go. it was not supposed to last nine months. now heading into the winter months. president biden making it clear unless a discussion with brittney griner's release was on the table, he would not meet one-on-one with putin. there is an opportunity with russia being on the back foot when it comes to the war for there to be concessions made. with that said, the united states over the summer had proposed a two for two exchange to get paul whelan out as well. unfortunately, putin realized while he would release brittney griner potentially as a loss to him, losing a valuable asset, he could gain the opportunity to continue to divide america along racial lines. this conversation that we have had about a white veteran being

left behind and a black woman, was it worth it to release a black woman? all of that chatter online is exactly the soviet playbook that putin has played, played against us in 2016, and is starting once again. >> julia, i'm curious about this. most of us don't know the internal negotiations. everything i know about hostage negotiations i learned from samuel l. jackson in a movie a few years ago. when you look up who this viktor bout guy was, the lord of war was based on him. this is a bad guy, a bond villain. so what word to the degree we can understand on the outside, what were some of the negotiations that may have gone on that made this trade possible? was it the only deal at the table, like either get this done or nothing? how was this balance sort of calculated by the biden administration? >> from what we understand, this

was basically the only thing the russians would agree to. that it's viktor bout for griner or nothing. and it is strange. you're right, it's a pretty bad look to be pushing this hard for the merchant of death, and all day, russian state media has been trying to humanize him and trying to evoke sympathy by showing his crying wife and talking about how much he's aged and how much weight he's lost in prison, but still it's a weird look. but you know, he is a former soviet intelligence officer, putin has a soft spot for those. and again, it's a very lopsided trade. and it makes the americans look bad. i mean, it has created this kind of political furor that we're seeing now. it's also an incomplete victory for the biden administration because he only got one of two hostages home.

and again, it's just, again, it splits america down the middle. and it gives russia something to distract russians from the fact that russia is losing at home. i will say, by the way, to the earlier point about why putin took brittney griner, we don't know, we still don't know whether brittney griner was targeted specifically or whether she was held up at the airport because what is far more likely is that she was held up, her baggage was scanned and they found the drugs, and once they realized she was a foreigner, that's when they called in the fsb and realized they had a target. exactly, and that's when it all kicked into gear. >> thank you all so much for starting off our show tonight. up next on "the reidout," news breaking late today. the doj is reportedly asking a judge to hold the trump team in contempt over their handling of

the mar-a-lago classified documents. "the reidout" continues after this. ve billion people lack access to safe surgery. thousands of children are suffering and dying from treatable causes. for 40 years, mercy ships has deployed floating hospitals to provide the free surgeries these children need. join us. together, we can give children the hope and healing they never thought possible. it's a mission powered by love, made possible by you. give today. get refunds.com powered by innovation refunds can help your business get a payroll tax refund, even if you got ppp and it only takes eight minutes to qualify. i went on their website, uploaded everything, and i was blown away by what they could do. getrefunds.com has helped businesses get over a billion dollars and we can help your business too. qualify your business for a big refund in eight minutes. go to getrefunds.com to get started.

powered by innovation refunds. it's nice to unwind after a long week of telling people how liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need! (limu squawks) he's a natural. only pay for what you need. ♪liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty.♪ ♪♪ over the last 100 years, lincoln's witnessed a good bit of history.

even made some themselves. makes you wonder... what will they do for an encore? ♪♪ so small, so smart. hearing aids that i can personalize to each ear right from here. brilliant. [coughing] hi, susan. honey. yeah. i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love, plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash?

robitussin. the only brand with real look what the cat dragged in.

rtrust me.. you call that cute? ooh! with the paws? with the hat? breaking news tonight from the investigation into former president trump's trove of classified documents at mar-a-lago. "the washington post" is reporting that the doj has asked a federal judge to hold trump's office in contempt for failing to fully comply with a may subpoena to return all classified documents in its

possession. according to people familiar with the matter. this comes after months of mounting frustrations from the justice department that despite after trump's lawyers provided assurances that a diligent search had been conducted for all of the documents, the fbi amassed evidence suggesting and later confirmed through a court authorized search that many more documents remained. the judge has not yet held a hearing or ruled on the request according to the post. joining me to discuss is charles coleman, civil rights attorney and msnbc legal analyst. charles, i gotta start with this. i get that the doj wants to bring charges against trump's whole team as a staff and a crew. can get it. i understand the anger and frustration. here's my thing. why has no one been arrested for this yet? because it almost seems like it's a good faith act on the part of the doj to think these people are just unaware as opposed to they're just lying. like, why hasn't someone been

arrested now? you have lied, either you're lying intentionally or lying on behalf of a client. tell me why this is a step in the right direction and not just more wasting of time that we have seen over the last four or five months? >> first off, jason, i will see your hit them up records and raise you one why reference and say that when you come for the former king, you can't miss. what i mean by that is, they are making sure that they have taken every step to get as much information as they can before proceeding with an indictment and a prosecution of not just donald trump but eloquently put, his staff, label, and everything else. there are two very telling things about today's activity in court. the first of which is jack smith is not playing around. he's not merrick garland, not waiting. he's moving forward. i think this notion of trying to find him in contempt is actually a significant indication of the fact that he is not going to allow the trump team to continue

to delay for months at a time in the ways that merrick garland's doj actually did. there is something positive to be gleaned from that. the second thing i find to be very interesting and almost comical is how we got here. we got here because trump's own attorneys are not willing to attest to the fact that their client has done what his client was supposed to actually do. there is no one on trump's legal team who is willing to step forward and be a custodian of documents and certify with their license on the line that what they are saying and attesting to is true, and that says a lot about the lack of confidence they have in their own client. >> so charles, i'm very curious about that because when it comes to trump's legal team, right, if you have, look, lawyers sometimes know they have corrupt clients. whether your lawyer is jackie childs or procter from power, you know when you're representing someone who is a little shady from time to time. the more i am seeing in this, is it clear that trump's lawyers are as crooked as he is or are

they trying to avoid further conflict and further investigations, but he's simply lying to them? where is the fault line in this? is it with the legal team or is it with trump? or both? >> i can't let you get away with another reference. i heard the power reference so i have to raise you another one on kleinfield from carlito's way by sean penn and in that case, it actually is a follow reference in that you know your client is a mess. and you cannot work it in a way, you cannot work this case or risk your own actual embarrassment from a professional standpoint in terms of certifying something because here's the thing, jason. they know that if it comes down to trump or trump saying something, listen, i lied or i told my attorney so forth, they're in front of not only the bar but a potential judge facing charges, they know trump is going to throw them under the bus the same way he's thrown

everyone under the bus. they're not willing to take that on and potentially risk an entire career over a client they know is dishonest and untruthful even with the people who he retains to represent him. this is more of a trump thing and a difficult tightrope for anyone at this point is left that is willing to take on the responsibility of representing donald trump in court. >> when we first heard about this, i was here this night, when we first heard about the raid at mar-a-lago and we heard about the documents and some of them were in a hallway and may have been corners, it didn't seem like all of them were secure. then we got the impression they may have been at mar-a-lago, they might be in other locations. they might be shifting around and around. how does the doj know how much is actually recovered and is there a possibility, not to suggest that trump isn't corrupt and the people with him aren't corrupt, but is it possible they don't even know the entirety of what they have, and they can't tloekt, which is one of the reasons it hasn't been returned? >> well, jason, between the national archives that have put

out a list of things they were looking for initially that led to the subpoena ultimately along with other documents, i have a belief that both things are true. i believe there is more out there that they do not know is missing, but i also believe there are very specific things that they have been looking for that have not shown up yet. i think it's actually both. i think they may believe, look, the universe of documents thet have not been returned to us is somewhat amorphous in as much as we don't know how deep this rabbit hole goes but i also think they're very clear about certain specific documents that have not been returned that nobody has accounted for and no one has yet to say, we don't know. the third thing i think has also played a role is donald trump himself has kind of told on himself in terms of the interviews he's given about this conversation. he at one point said if i take the documents wherever i take them, that suggests he may have taken them to other places besides mar-a-lago. he know he has properties all across the country. that stands to reason for someone who has this sort of

logic, these documents could literally be anywhere. >> i cannot believe we have a former twice impeached press running around with a knock list. thank you for joining us on "the reidout." >> still ahead, congress approves a landmark marriage equality bill to insure no american is punished or discriminated against because of who they love. but why was congressional action needed? that's next, tonight on "the reidout." reidout. [coughing] hi, susan. honey. yeah. i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love, plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? robitussin. the only brand with real honeyand elderberry.

meet leon the third... leon the second... and leon... the first of them all. three generations, who all bank differently with chase. leon's saving up for his first set of wheels... nice try. really? this leon's paying for his paint job on the spot... and this leon, as a chase private client, he's in the south of france, taking out cash with no atm fees. that's because this family of leons has chase. actually, it's león. ooh la la! one bank for now. for later. for life. chase. make more of what's yours. at bombas, we make the comfiest socks, underwear and t-shirts that feel good, and, most of all, do good. because when you purchase one, we donate one to those in need. visit bombas.com

and get 20% off your first purchase. bombas. give the good. - [female narrator] they line up by the thousands. each one with a story that breaks your heart. like ravette... every step, brought her pain. their only hope: mercy ships. the largest floating civilian hospital in the world. bringing free surgeries to people who have no other hope. $19 a month will help provide urgently needed surgery for so many still suffering. so don't wait, call the number on your screen.

or donate at mercyships.org. why are 93% of sleep number sleepers satisfied with their bed? maybe it's because you can adjust your comfort and firmness on either side. your sleep number setting. to help relieve pressure points and keep you both comfortable all night. save $1000 on our most popular sleep number 360 smart bed. only for a limited time i remember the gift, and it was one of those gifts that it just hit. it just landed perfectly. we talked with my mom and was like, “hey do you think that we should do something like that for dad?” and she was like “you know what i think that would be actually really cool.” ♪ i figured this is a great holiday present since i won't be with him for christmas. ♪ it was the best gift that i ever received, in my entire life. because it opened up my life. unwrap your family story, with ancestrydna. ♪ ♪3, 4♪ ♪ unwrap your family story, with ancestrydna. ♪hey♪ ♪ ♪are you ready for me♪

♪are you ready♪ ♪are you ready♪ i had no idea how much i wamy case was worth. c call the barnes firm to find out what your case could be worth. we will help get you the best result possible. ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪ after my car accident, ♪ call owondnder whahatmy c cas. eight million ♪ so i called the barnes firm. i'm rich barnes. youour cidedentase e woh than insurance offered? call the barnes firm now to find out.

yoyou ght t beurprpris on this vote, the yeas are 258. the nays are 169. the present won. the motion is adopted. >> an historic day in the u.s. house. speaker nancy pelosi announcing the passage of the respect for marriage act and one of her final acts as house speaker. the bill guaranteeing federal protection of same-sex and interracial marriages was supported by all house democrats and only 39 house republicans. 169 republicans chose the wrong side of history. the legislation requires nationwide recognition of legal marriages, guarantees full benefits, quote, regardless of the couple's sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin. the does not, however, require

any individual state to issue same-sex marriage licenses. so for members of the lgbtq equality caucus spoke passionately about why the legislation is urgently needed. >> i'm standing here today because in the year 2022, families like mine are once again concerned that an activist out of step supreme court is going to take those rights away. >> it would be wrong to say my husband phil and i have a marriage that is any different than anyone else's marriage here in this body. >> this bill will pass today, but as a reminder of the necessity of our vigilant in the fight for human rights and the need to hold the judicial branch accountable. >> next year i'll marry the love of my life. and it's unthink fbl the supreme court heeds justice thomas' call, our marriage might not be recognized in new hampshire where we live but not across the country. >> republicans on the other hand

argue that the bill is unnecessary, despite supreme court justice clarence thomas' threat that the 2015 obergefell v. hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage should be reconsidered. >> god's perfect design is indeed marriage between one man and one woman for life, and it doesn't matter what you think or i think. that's what the bible says. >> i'll tell you my priority. protect religious liberty, protect people of faith, and protect americans who believe in the true meaning of marriage. i hope and pray that my colleagues will find the courage to join me in opposing this misguided and this dangerous bill. >> a lot of tears. the bill now goes to president biden for his signature, insuring same-sex and interracial marriages will be protected from a supreme court challenge. after the break, we'll hear more about the insidious campaign to get the court especially

justices thomas and alito to do the work of the religious right. there was explosive testimony from a former anti-abortion activist who saw an influence campaign targeting the conservative justices. that's next on "the reidout." a new clinical study showed that centrum silver supports cognitive health in older adults. it's one more step towards taking charge of your health. so every day, you can say... ♪ youuu did it! ♪ with centrum silver. (customer) hi? (burke) happy anniversary. (customer) for what? (burke) every year you're with us, you get fifty dollars toward your home deductible. it's a policy perk for being a farmers customer. (customer) do i have to do anything? (burke) nothing. (customer) nothing? (burke) nothing. (customer) nothing? (burke) nothing. (customer) hmm, that is really something. (burke) you get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. see ya. (kid) may i have a balloon, too? (burke) sure. your parents have maintained a farmers home policy for twelve consecutive months, right? ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ for people living with h-i-v, keep being you.

and ask your doctor about biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in certain adults. it's not a cure, but with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to and stay undetectable. that's when the amount of virus is so low it cannot be measured by a lab test. research shows people who take h-i-v treatment every day and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit h-i-v through sex. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems. do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. if you have hepatitis b, do not stop taking biktarvy without talking to your doctor. common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. if you're living with hiv, keep loving who you are. and ask your doctor if biktarvy is right for you. ("this little light of mine")

- [narrator] in the world's poorest places, children with cleft conditions live in darkness and shame. they're shunned, outcast, living in pain. you can reach out and change the life of a suffering child right now. a surgery that takes as little as 45 minutes and your act of love can change a child's life forever. please call or visit operationsmile.org now. thousands of children are waiting. age comes with wisdom. and wisdom comes with benefits. dryer's broken okay... you want a socket.... that's especially true when it comes to medicare. so make the wise call and learn more about cigna medicare plans in your area. their tools and resources make it simple and easy. bears can smell wifi. visit cignawisecall.com today. you want to flip it. [coughing]

hi, susan. honey. yeah. i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love, plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? robitussin. the only brand with real honeyand elderberry. a bend with a bump in your erection might be painful, embarassing, difficult to talk about, and could be peyronie's disease or pd, a real medical condition that urologists can diagnose and have been treating for more than 8 years with xiaflex®, the only fda-approved nonsurgical treatment for appropriate men with pd. along with daily gentle penile stretching and straightening exercises, xiaflex has been proven to help gradually reduce the bend. don't receive if the treatment area involves your urethra; or if you're allergic to any of the ingredients. may cause serious side effects, including: penile fracture or other serious injury during an erection and severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. seek help if you have any of these symptoms. do not have any sexual activity during and for at least 4 weeks after each treatment cycle. sudden back pain reactions and fainting can happen after treatment. tell your doctor if you have a bleeding condition

or take blood thinners as risk of bleeding or bruising at the treatment site is increased. join the tens of thousands of men who've been prescribed xiaflex. make an appointment with a xiaflex-trained urologist. visit bentcarrot.com to find one today. seatgeek presents visit bentcarrot.com the reeeeally into its. the confidence of knowing your concert tickets are legit, brings everything to life. yeah! seatgeek handles the tickets, so fans can fan. before reality television,

stan culture, even the internet itself, there was elizabeth taylor. the actress who redefined 20th century fame and who remains eve fr after death one of the most iconic women in the world. her 56 films made her a star as did eight marriages to seven different men. it was on the set of cleopatra where the legendary story of elizabeth taylor and richard burton began. let's just say the world, but especially celebrity gossip were never the same again. a new book delves into this phenomenal life, going far beyond the movies and those magnificent jewels. noting how elizabeth devoted decades of her life to fighting hiv and aids, and that it was she who pressured president ronald reagan into making his first speech devoted exclusively to the aids pandemic in 1987, six years after the first cases were reported in the united states. hollywood took note.

six years later, she received a humanitarian award at the 65th academy awards for her work in the fight against aids. >> i accept this award in honor of all the men, women, and children with aids who are waging incredibly valiant battles for their lives. those to whom i have given my commitment. >> joining me now is kate anderson brouwer, author of the new book "elizabeth taylor, the grit and glamour of an icon." thank you so much for being here. and you know, because my formative years were in the 1980s, my junior high and high school years, i remember this era very well. the fear about hiv and aids, the sort of paranoia about the idea, could you get it just from touching someone, from hugging someone or sharing your milk carton with someone at school, even for kids, it was kind of terrifying and the president at

the time, ronald reagan, was absolutely silent. so talk a little bit about elizabeth taylor's activism there. let me read you a piece here, from your book, it says most of the time this was about aids patients. most of the time they would say the patients at hospice just needed someone to touch them. she decided to do unpublicized hospice vists. she wanted them to know they were loved. >> she was the first major excellent activist to take on hiv and aids. i think she was actually one of the first celebrity activists, period, to really devote her life to a cause. because the second half of her life was all about hiv and aids. so she used her relationship with the reagans and i got this rare look into these private letters and diaries where she's writing to nancy reagan and pleading with her to have the president speak about aids because it was years. the first cases, you're talking

about 1981, and he didn't talk about it publicly until 1987 at the potomac dinner in washington. and at that dinner, he was booed because he didn't talk about aids patients in the empathetic way that people expected him to. that people wanted him to come out and be more sympathetic. and elizabeth was very influential. she went to the white house, she went to the oval office and she visited him because they were both hollywood stars. and what i found in her diaries were incredible moments of compassion, and as you said, these were unpublicized visits to hospices, so nobody saw her hugging patients, asking them things like, you know, does their dog need to be walked, for instance. do they want her to call their mother? i mean, incredibly sweet things, and she was for gay marriage decades before anybody was talking about it, because she had so many gay men in her life. >> yeah. you know, the thing about

elizabeth taylor that's kind of fascinating, she was a star in the era when stars were stars. there was no access to them on something like twitter where people could talk back to them in sort of the real world. they were sort of really just larger than life. and there was a small percentage of hollywood icons, the frank sinatras, jackie gleason, marilyn monroe who used that mega stardom to lean into what are modern woke causes. they leaned in on civil rights. there were a lot of things people did in that era. she did that too. this is some of her civil rights leaning in. she joined prominent civil rights activists for naacp's freedom tv spectacular. she contributed to the black panther legal defense fund. she placed a full-page ad in "the new york times" calling for gun legislation. talk about her use of mega stardom for causes that were not sort of usual conservative-ish

causes. >> she was the first real celebrity influencer. and it's interesting because she was marry today a republican senator, john warner, her sixth husband, which is how i got into this book, because he put me in touch with her family. so you know, as you said, she brought up gun control after robert kennedy was killed. she took out a full-page ad in "the new york times," and then again, i found this amazing letter with senator warner after ronald reagan was shot, and warner said to her, you know, i don't think you should really get in front of this issue. you shouldn't take out another ad. and she said, i'm doing it anyway. and that was one of the things, one of the many things that led to their divorce. she stood up for people who didn't have a voice because, you know, throughout her life, i think she always felt like an outsider herself. she never went to high school with other kids her own age. she was kind of forced into her first marriage with nicky hilton, which was abusive, and

by the time she was 26, she had been twice divorced and once widowed, with three children. so she lived this rapid fire life of love and loss and tragedy. and she kept getting up again and again. she was a survivor which is something that drew me to her, because unlike marilyn, she was 80 years old almost when she died. so she lived a full life. you know, and we got to see her as an older woman, which i think is important. >> an older woman and in many ways a feminist icon. she was making herself unmarried at a time that was not the thing to do. so many things besides being a great actress and icon. thank you for being here, the author of "elizabeth taylor, the grit and glamour of an icon." thank you very much for being here. that was a little surprise. we switched it up for you. coming up, congressman david

cicilline joins me to discuss a dramatic day on capitol hill. "the reidout" right after this break. refunds can help your business get a payroll tax refund, even if you got ppp and it only takes eight minutes to qualify. i went on their website, uploaded everything, and i was blown away by what they could do. getrefunds.com has helped businesses get over a billion dollars and we can help your business too. qualify your business for a big refund in eight minutes. go to getrefunds.com to get started. powered by innovation refunds. research shows people remember commercials go to getrefunds.com to get started. with nostalgia. so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's one that'll really take you back. it's customized home insurance from liberty mutual!!! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

dude, what're you doing? i'm protecting my car. that's too much work. weathertech is so much easier... laser-measured floorliners up here, seat protector and cargoliner back there... nice! out here, side window deflectors... and mud flaps... and the bumpstep, to keep the bumper dent-free. cool! it's the best protection for your vehicle, new or pre-owned. great. but where do i---? order. weathertech.com. sfx: bubblewrap bubble popped sound. psoriasis really messes with you. try. hope. fail. no one should suffer like that. i started cosentyx®. five years clear. real people with psoriasis

look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infection, some serious and a lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tell your doctor if your crohn's disease symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reaction may occur. best move i've ever made. ask your dermatologist about cosentyx®.

(announcer) enough with the calorie counting, ask your dermatologist carb cutting, diet fatigue, and stress. just taking one golo release capsule with three balanced meals a day has been clinically proven to repair metabolism, optimize insulin levels, and balance the hormones that make weight loss easy. release works with your body, not against it, so you can put dieting behind you and go live your life. head to golo.com now to join the over 2 million people

who have found the right way to lose weight >> back in november, the new and get healthier with golo. york times reported that several antitrust activists have embarked on a sophisticated, targeted influence campaign with the goal of, quote, emboldening the justices to lay legal groundwork for the reversal of roe v. wade. one other top targets were

supreme court justice, samuel alito. the campaign was organized by reverent bob's neck, a former antiabortion faith leader. he claims that his campaign -- he told the new york times that alito leaked the verdict of the 2014 roe versus -- two religious activists, a case to allow privately held companies to reject everybody's brown to the oklahoma law that requires employers to provide out insurance and includes contraceptive coverage. the reverend, who has recanted his antiabortion views, was told of the outcomes weeks before it was announced. a lead denied the allegations. today before the house traditionary committee, he laid out his extensive influence campaign, which included inviting some justices to meals, various vacation homes and private clubs. the justices obliged. >> operation higher court involved recruitment by wealthy

donors, stealth missionaries who prevented justice is this shared our conservative, social and religious sensibilities. our overarching goals were to gain insight into the conservative justices thinking and to shore up their resort to render solvent unapologetic opinions article early against abortion. >> he went even further claiming that clarence thomas, whose wife had launched her own influence campaign, the urge to have the 2020 election stolen from biden, encouraged his efforts. >> we are never admonish for the type of work to our missionaries did. quite to the contrary, in one instance, justice thomas commended me, saying something like, keep up what you're doing, it's making a difference. >> insurrectionists stick together. the goal of the hearing was to discuss legislation that would form the lack of ethical standards at the supreme court. the court has no transparent

process for receiving or investigating allegations of ethical misconduct, but the republicans have little interest in that. joining me to discuss today's hearing as well as today's historic vote to protect same-sex marriage is congressman david cicilline of north iowa, a member of the house judiciary committee and chairman of the house lgbtq plus house caucus. thank you for joining us this evening, congressman. start with the vote, marriage equality is a huge issue, a huge issue for more reasons. it is a huge issue for policy reasons, a huge issue for ethics regions. why was this so important for the house to pass now before the spring and january when it's taken over by republicans? >> well, you know, the supreme court in reversing roe v. wade and the dobbs decision made it clear that according to justice thomas, they're coming for marriage equality next. he raised it very specifically.

so, what we want to be certain is that the law of the land remains that we have marriage equality, that every american would have access to marriage. so, the legislation we pass today will ensure that anyone who is married in any state, that that marriage, as long as is lawfully performed, will be recognized in every other state. the lgbtq community has come under attack very significantly over the last several years, and the supreme court is working hard to take away freedoms and rights. we want to make sure that we protect marriage equality for all members of the community so that every american has full access to marriage. we did that today in a strong bipartisan vote. the president will sign it, and is a good day. >> representative, you talk about supreme court justices and their activism. there was some amazing testimony today about influences on supreme court justices. we don't always have to agree with justices come to decisions. i can point out that clarence thomas benefited from a front of action, even if he dislikes

it. clarence thomas -- hinted at the fact that he will be willing to make gay marriage and interracial marriages illegal. how dangerous is it to think that our supreme court is completely compromised after today's testimony? is even a legitimate branch of the government anymore if even 80% of what we heard today and testimony is the standard operating procedures for many justices? >> what we heard today was really shocking. this was a very sophisticated and well financed campaign to influence the court to become more conservative, to fortify their extreme positions. it was really shocking to hear the testimony. look, it's one of the reasons why we have to pass legislation that will in fact enact a code of ethics and direct a coat to enact a code of ethics. they make sure that there are requirements and disclosure for any gifts or anything that the court justices receive. any other federal judge or

member of congress is supposed to go to disclosures and governed by a code of ethics. it's only the supreme court's exemption. that something we cannot stand. as a result, we see the core at its lowest it's ever been in terms of public confidence. the court relies on the confidence of the american people to do its work, so this is something we have to address. the coach should want to address it. what we heard today, i think shows why this is urgent and why we have to insist that the supreme court and united states operate under some well established rules of conduct, ethics and be held accountable if they violate those rules. >> i will be honest with you, most of what i know from the supreme court, i learned last summer reading the book by stacey abrams. i know how difficult it is to actually remove it justice. in simple layman's terms, how would ethics legislation work? even if the justices came forward, even if clear somerset, yes, i discussed my wife had to engage in an instruction. even if daniel leitao said in

addition to making racist jokes during testimony, i took drinks with et cetera, et cetera. what would be the enforcement mechanism? if we saw them on the hand, and she doing the same thing? >> hopefully, if you have a code of ethics that requires disclosure or requires recusal or prevents justices from receiving free chips or gifts, they will file the code of ethics that they adopt. if they don't, then there are mechanisms to remove justices who violate the code of ethics. that happens all the time at district court levels and court of appeals. you have to impeach a justice of the supreme court but at the very least, the established rules of conduct, making clear that the judgments they're making are based on the law and the evidence of the arguments before them and the president and not in the influence of other parties for whining and dining them, or inviting them to vacation or take inducted into. that is very corrosive, and we have seen a number of events recently that really raised

questions about the integrity of the court, one of the ways we can repair that, you would hope that the justice would want repair, this for them to support legislation that would require them to develop a code of ethics to adopt that, can make it public and then to follow it, and then to recuse himself when appropriate and also to disclose gifts that they received from parties that might have some interest or organizations that have a different viewpoint and lobbying them. the supreme court is not supposed to be lobbied by anyone. >> right, right. >> this was the decisions based on the law. the arguments of counsel are the brief submitted to the court. >> i hope that is the case, and if those rules are applied retroactively, i don't think we would've gotten brett kavanaugh. congressman david cicilline, thank you so much for joining us this evening. thank you so much. that's tonight's read out, all in with chris hayes starts right now. s hayes starts right now. >> tonight on all in. >> the fbi just came in